Of course, he monitored me from afar.
“That was just for show,” I explain, removing my jacket and walking into my closet to change my shirt. He follows.
“What do you mean by ‘for show’? Isn’t she so famous? Did you kidnap her? What would the whole of Argentina do when they find out she’s missing?” He asks, clearly bewildered.
It’s not like him to pry about my relationships, but Katarina is, after all, the only woman I’ve ever taken home. And I’m sure she will be the last.
“Yes. She’s a celebrity in Argentina. Her brother is big in the security business, too.Was, until Nicolo’s men got to him.”
“Why?” he frowns this time, and I see I’ve finally hooked his curiosity.
“Killed him in the process of trying to kidnap her,” I say as we walk back to the room, and I pull a heavy wool blanket over Katarina.
“Who was he working for?”
“He runs his own security firm, so too many. Including me.”
“Why does Nicolo want the little one?” He asks.
“I’ll find out.”
“Mail-order bride? Or did he get obsessed with her watching her movies?” The Guidicelli family runs prostitution rings, mail-order brides, and all sorts of human trafficking. Everyone in the mafia is a bad person, but people like them are the worst.
“Who knows. He was working with a politician she knew. It was that asshole who sent men to take her. They are expecting her to be part of a shipment for him today.”
“Huh. But something is not adding up.” The Guidicelli family is notorious for kidnapping women and children. But of all the women in the world, why her?
“The moment he learns I took her, it should be interesting, and we’ll find out why he wants her,” I say, and Lorenzo sighs, running a hand over his face.
“Only you will come back with an unconscious woman and a budding war on your shoulders,” he says, starting to leave.
“Don’t worry, I got it under control,” I murmur as I walk him out the door.
“We all know you do, brother. But the aftermath comes with a different story,” he says, his hand on the door frame.
He’s not lying. Starting a feud with Guidicelli now will rattle theLa Famiglia, and the Dons like to avoid internal conflict. My relationship with the Castiglione clan is already shaky because of what happened two years ago, and now I’ve found myself in another conflict with a different Don.
“You need to approach this with a differentstrategy.” He looks at me, then Katarina, before walking away.
I don’t respond.
Strategymeans complicating matters for Katarina, even if it lessens the blow to theLa Famiglia. The strategy Nicolo is talking about means owning responsibility for her and tying her to me for the rest of her life.
Soon, Gio and Julian come back to the room. I sigh and rub my temples, the stress finally catching up to me.
I turn to them and say, "Get the doctor to check on her. I want the best medical care for her. And Julian," I say, meeting his eyes, "you guard this room at all times."
I turn to the massive, dark wooden door of my bathroom and let the heavy oak click shut behind me. Strategy be damned. I was back in the game, and I had brought the game's ultimate prize with me.
Soon enough, she will wake up, and I need to prepare to tell her about everything.
About me.
Chapter 10
Damiano
One Year Ago, Buenos Aires
